Sioux Falls City Hall isn't wasting much time when it comes to managing the emerald ash borer outbreak discovered here in May.

As of last week, 199 ash trees have been cleared from city parks throughout town including Falls Park where 33 ash trees were cut down. Lions Centennial Park had 10 ash trees cleared and Dugan nine. In total, not a single ash tree stands in 14 different city parks where they had before.

And those park tree removals could double before year's end with other ash-filled parks like Yankton Trail, the Great Plains Zoo and Kuehn all being targeted this fall.

"Those numbers are as of Friday, and we're out in force this week too," Park Operations Manager Kelby Mieras said.

Because city ordinance doesn't permit the cutting down of ash trees between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Kelby said the city will use the cold weather months to deplete the city's ash tree stock.

Earlier this fall, the city began marking ash trees in boulevards that it plans to cut down with blue 9s, signifying the year 2019 in which they'll begin the removal of those trees.

This map shows the section of Sioux Falls the parks office has designated for ash tree removal during the first year of its 10-year emerald ash borer management plan.(Photo: City of Sioux Falls)

Kelby said thus far, 2,188 ash trees in public right of ways (boulevards) have been marked, ranging in sizes between 8 inches and 67 inches in diameter.

"We expected about 18 inches as an average and we're seeing 25 (inches)," he said. "These trees are very big."

While the city has opted not to treat its ash trees, many homeowners throughout town are more optimistic that their ash trees might be saved. Mieras said since the invasive bug was detected in Sioux Falls, more than 8,000 tags have been issued to licensed arborists to track treated ash trees.

Once the city gets a full year of tree removals under its belt, the plan is to begin replanting trees in 2020 in both public parks and in boulevards. A city-led fundraising campaign called "ReLeaf Sioux Falls" has a goal to raise $2.5 million over the next five years that will offset costs to taxpayers and homeowners when buying and planting.